Well, they picked him as the preseason player of the year in the Horizon League, and over the course of the season he showed everyone why he was just that.

Ray McCallum adds another award to his cabinet as he wins the 2012 Horizon League Player of the Year award. McCallum, a junior, led the Horizon League in points per game with 19.2 and that ranked 22nd in the nation. In addition, he averaged 4.7 assist per game and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

After getting the privilege of watching him play all year-long, McCallum was for sure most deserving of the award. If he was not scoring in bunches, McCallum was making a play on the defensive end where he averaged 1.8 steals per game. He was the first player in the Horizon League to win both preseason and postseason award since UDM alum Rashad Phillips did the same thing back in the 2000-01 season.

Although McCallum won player of the year, another Titan earned a Horizon League First Team appearance. Nick Minnerath, whose story has been hitting the local media lately, has had a great come back season for Detroit. Minnerath is averaging 15.1 points per game, which was fifth in the Horizon League and 6.1 rebounds per game.

If there was a comeback player of the year award it would no doubt go to Minnerath. He destroyed his knee just five games into last season and has worked hard to be where he is today. Before coming to UDM, he had trouble finding somewhere to play basketball. If you don’t know his story, take the time to look it up.

While both players are probably overjoyed with these awards, I think their focus is still on the Horizon League tournament, which for the Titans starts Saturday in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Titans do not know who they will play yet but they have the most talented team in the league. But the most talented doesn’t always go with most successful.